Saturday October 5, 2013, 11:12 pm
Thanks Cal. I suppose it is no surprise that the really underhand 'dodgey' things are going on behind the scenes to keep environmentalists quiet. It is so good when ever we hear a judge judging fairly! Not that that seems to happen very often nowadays as they are becoming so corrupt. THis is one small win anyway!

Sunday October 6, 2013, 3:52 am
"The 2009 memo made it clear that the Oil Sands Environmental Coalition, or OSEC, should no longer be given standing at regulatory hearings into oilsands projects on the grounds it was not directly affected by the impact of the operations." which is slightly different than it was attempting to silence them. However, not allowing them to talk after they applied was probably wrong.

Sunday October 6, 2013, 1:13 pm
The pollution and contamination that has resulted from the oilsands is beyond description. There are vast ecosystems that are already ruined. EVERY PERSON IN ALBERTA HAS "STANDING" in this issue! We're the people who have to breathe the air, drink the water, worry about the wildlife... it's already past the point of no return for some species. When you see a river full of fish that have cancer...

Canadian scientists are muzzled by the federal government, and environmentalists - even grassroots people like me who do nothing more than sign petitions, write letters, and post on sites like Care2 - we're the people the government calls "terrorists."

Sunday October 6, 2013, 1:24 pm
Noted. “Alberta needs to walk the talk and be judged on its actions both in terms of environmental performance of the industry and its actions in terms of the regulatory process.”
Thank You Cal.

Sunday October 6, 2013, 4:04 pm
That is one hell of an environment department. They get paid to do what? Aren't they supposed to e on the side of the planet. Thank goodness this judge saw fit to deal with them in the manner he did.

"Both the federal and provincial NDP have used Marceau's ruling to attack the Alberta government.

Federal NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair said the ruling reinforces widespread cynicism that the province's approval process for projects is rigged in favour of oil companies."
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Just one small step, but proof that democracy works. I wonder how Prime Minister Harper is taking it?

Sunday October 6, 2013, 9:48 pm
Suzanne R., the approval process has been rigged for decades. And Harper doesn't give a damn, except to try to exact some punishment on this judge. His own riding is in Calgary, where the Big Oil Money is. Guess who contributes to his campaign coffers and donates to the Conservative Party? Guess who he has to please?

Hint: It's not people like me, who has never voted for a right-wing party in my life, and who actually likes to see a healthy environment and breathe clean air. There are not enough words in the language to adequately describe how much I despise our current PM.